MP strives to get rid of prostitution in tribes

Even after 50 years of Independence, a traditional, caste-based form of prostitution thrives in Madhya Pradesh. But the state government has been trying to get the Bedia and Banchchara communities to give up its old ways and accept a more conventional lifestyle.

A member of the Bedia tribe, who was herself a prostitute, says lack of education, extreme poverty and unemployment has forced her people into the flesh trade. The lure of easy money prevents them from living a normal life, she says, ''Although my family has traditionally been in the business, I educated all my children, including three girls, and they are now self-reliant and well placed in society,'' she says.

According to a spokesperson at the woman and child welfare department, this is evidence that the state government's Jabali scheme, the only one of its kind in the country, has borne fruit, enabling prostitutes to lead normal lives.

The total number of beneficiaries has gone up from 430 to 600 during the last two years. At present, four institutes in the state are involved in rehabilitating these women. The scheme involves setting up of ashrams to educate and rehabilitate children of prostitutes, to provide financial support to the women and ensure they get periodical medical check-ups and proper treatment.

In Shajapur district 22 prostitutes trained in weaving and were provided with employment. Twenty rehabilitated prostitutes were married off by the state government in Raisen district, while at Ganjbasauda in Vidisha district, a prostitute was even elected sarpanch, the spokesperson said.

Nearly 100 children of prostitutes availed of the facilities at the ashrams run by the state government in Morena district. Champabahen, who runs the Satya Shodhan ashram in Patharia tehsil of Sagar district, organised mass marriages in which 700 women were married and now lead normal lives.

Ritually sanctioned caste-based prostitution is widely prevalent in the Banchhara and Bedia tribes. The Banchhara mainly inhabit the districts of Mandsaur, Ujjain, Indore, Shajapur and Ratlam, while the Bedias are widely spread out in 16 districts. Most of the Bedias are based in Guna, Sagar, Morena, Panna, Shivpuri, Vidisha, Rajgarh and Raisen.

Except a minuscule minority, almost all families are either actively engaged in the profession or are struggling to distance themselves from it.

The Jabali scheme has its drawbacks too. It has no provision for immediate monetary help to those wishing to give up prostitution and who want their children to leave normal lives. A lack of land and other facilities also hampers the scheme.

In the social system of both the Banchharas and Bedias, a girl could either be married off or become a prostitute. She could get married even if her sister and mother were prostitutes. According to the 1981 census, 46.90 per cent of the Banchhara women and 44.07 per cent of the Bedia women were unmarried.

Among the Banchharas at least one daughter is traditionally pushed into prostitution whereas others could be married off. Among the Bedias too, the father may marry off some of his daughters but others are introduced into the profession.

The Banchharas are divided into two categories, Khilwadi and Bhattekwadis. The former is engaged in prostitution whereas the latter leads a normal married life. The mother of a girl has to declare during her childhood, in the presence of the village deity, Narsi Maa (a local version of Durga), whether she will introduce her daughter into prostitution or give her in marriage. These tribes range in economic status from the upper middle-class in the cities to to abject poverty in rural areas.

The social status of women within the family is complex. She is the principal earning member and enjoys a degree of independence and control within her family. The social status of women practicing prostitution is often higher than that of married women.

The socio-cultural reasons for the slow changes in these two communities are complex. The ritual and social sanctions reinforce a system against which there is no rebellion or movement for change, the spokesperson says.

The communities' traditional leadership, he said, needs to be convinced about the need for change. A new social system should be created under which it should be agreed that marriages be solemnised only between families which had permanently given up the traditional profession, the spokesperson said, adding that an effective system of social penalties and boycott of families engaged in prostitution should be enforced.